Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) announced that SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed satellite internet service will start to operate in the country in the first quarter of 2023. Starlink is ideally suited for rural and geographically isolated areas where internet connectivity is unreliable or nonexistent. ALSO READ: Elon Musk’s Starlink to launch high-speed internet in Rwanda An initiative to create a global broadband network, SpaceX’s Starlink uses a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed, low-latency internet services. SpaceX, more formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp, is a privately held rocket and spacecraft company that Elon Musk founded in 2002. Below we look at seven things you should know about Starlink’s proposed entry in Rwanda. How does SpaceX’s Starlink work? SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed, low-latency service is made possible via the world’s largest constellation of highly advanced satellites operating in a low orbit around the Earth. Most satellite internet services come from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at 35,786 km. As a result, the round trip data time between the user and satellite—also known as latency—is high, making it nearly impossible to support streaming, online gaming, video calls or other high data rate activities. ALSO READ: Rwanda tops Africa in internet speed Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, at about 550km, and cover the entire globe. Because Starlink satellites are in a low orbit, latency is significantly lower—around 20 ms vs 600+ ms. What is the goal of Starlink? SpaceX’s Starlink seeks to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity across the globe. SpaceX operates the world's largest satellite constellation, with a rapidly-growing user base in nearly 50 countries and counting. SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. As the world’s leading provider of launch services – and the only provider with an orbital class reusable rocket – SpaceX has deep experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations. How fast are Starlink's internet speeds? Starlink offers unlimited high-speed data through an array of small satellites that deliver up to 150 Megabits per second (Mbps) of internet speed. SpaceX plans to double this rate in the coming months. According to a recent Speedtest by Ookla, Starlink recorded its fastest median download speed in the first quarter of 2022 at 160 Mbps in Lithuania. Starlink also clocked in at 91 Mbps in the United States, 97 Mbps in Canada and 124 Mbps in Australia. Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite internet in North America, with a median download speed of 105.91 Mbps. The Speedtest further revealed that upload speeds have seen a downward curve of at least 33% in the U.S. -- from 16.29 Mbps in the first quarter of 2021 to 9.33 Mbps in the second quarter of 2022. According to Starlink's website, it offers high speeds and latency as low as 20 milliseconds in most locations. Where is Starlink available? Starlink currently provides service in nearly 50 countries. Although a few countries, including Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, are marked as Coming soon on Starlink's coverage map, Starlink has no current plans to offer services to several countries, including Russia, China, Cuba and North Korea. The coverage map on the company's website (www.starlink.com/map) shows where it offers Starlink. How to connect to Starlink? Once users subscribe to Starlink, they receive a Starlink kit that includes a satellite dish, a dish mount and a Wi-Fi router base unit. Starlink also comes with a power cable for the base unit and a 75-foot cable for connecting the dish to the router. To use the service, Starlink customers must first set up the satellite dish to start receiving the signal and pass the bandwidth to the router. The company offers various mounting options for the dish, including for yards, rooftops and home exteriors. There's also a Starlink app for Android and Apple iOS that uses augmented reality to guide users in selecting the best location and position for their receivers. Can you use Starlink in bad weather? Starlink was designed with rugged weather conditions in mind. According to the company's website: Designed and rigorously tested to handle a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, Starlink is proven to withstand extreme cold and heat, sleet, heavy rain, and gale force winds -- and it can even melt snow. Starlink uses LEO satellites and a phased array antenna to help keep its performance intact during extreme weather conditions. How many Starlink satellites are in space? As of July 24, 2022, SpaceX launched 53 satellites in what was the 33rd Starlink launch of 2022. This follows a successful launch on July 22, 2022, in which 46 Starlink satellites were sent into orbit. So far, the company has launched almost 3,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. Starlink aims to provide high-speed internet coverage in remote and rural areas, but some users complain about spotty signals.
